ABOUT THIS BOOK

A fresh, concise account of the Romantic poet Lord Byron’s flamboyant life and work.

In this book, David Ellis traces Lord Byron’s life from rented lodgings in Aberdeen and the crumbling splendors of Newstead Abbey to his final grand tour of Asia. Describing his exile from England as well as his subsequent travels in Italy and Greece, Ellis shows just how completely Byron’s experiences colored both his serious and comic writings, such as Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and The Corsair. This is a fresh, concise, and clear-eyed account of the flamboyant poet’s life and work.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

David Ellis is emeritus professor of English at the University of Kent. His books include Byron in Geneva: That Summer of 1816, Perfidious Albion: The Story of Stendhal and British Culture, and The Comic in Shakespeare.

REVIEWS

"A spirited biography . . . [and] solid introduction to a captivating literary figure."

— Publishers Weekly

“David Ellis provides a concise and distinct review of Byron’s life and works . . . Detailing Byron’s complex life is certainly no straightforward task, yet Ellis approaches the subject with expertise, utilizing a variety of well-placed sources, understanding and good humor to create a vivid and unbiased portrayal of one of history’s most celebrated poets.”

— The Pilgrim

"Ellis has written a witty, lucid, and richly informative book that demonstrates what a great comic writer Lord Byron was; it’s brief, but every page punches above its weight."

— John Worthen, biographer and professor of English, University of Nottingham

“A lively and reliable picture of Byron’s life and works. Ellis delivers an evenhanded account of the poet’s adventures abroad and of the many dramas in his life—personal, financial, literary, and political.”

— Christopher W. Thompson, emeritus professor of French, University of Warwick

"Intelligent and fair-minded."

— Times Literary Supplement

“A brisk, insightful literary biography.”

— Kirkus Reviews

"If any poet’s biography is worth knowing, it’s Byron’s, simply because the life was so full of incident. This does not mean that a biography could explain him, any more than reading his wonderful letters and journals can explain him, but they comprise a superior form of entertainment. David Ellis has now published a short biography, more a sketch of the life, in the Critical Lives series from Reaktion Books. It touches on the major influences and events."

— Hudson Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Prefatory Note

1. Early Days

2. First Publications

3. The Grand Tour

4. Fame

5. Marriage

6. Switzerland

7. Venice

8. Ravenna Twice Over

9. Pisa and Genoa

10. Epilogue

References

Select Bibliography

Photo Acknowledgements

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